The Western Lark Sparrow 



THERE is a spot near Shandon so 

 and its unspoiled simplicities, that one 

 tion to it. The vaquero knew its solitu 

 fully upon its skirts; but so far 

 tion of the "oil-rig," and the 

 If you will promise not to plot 

 join us on an afternoon in 

 raining off and on for 

 is clear now, and 

 welcom 



endeared by reason of its verdure 

 hesitates to draw invidious atten- 

 des, and the rancher dwells peace- 

 it has been spared the desecra- 

 other engines of civilization, 

 "improvements," you shall 

 early April. It has been 

 a week, but the sky 

 the lush grasses 

 feet with the 



abandonment 



'dobe hills rise 



of the village, and their 



durous eminences stretch 



our vision. A full third 



for the rains have beaten 



to time, and the sides of 



with huge amphitheaters 



whose sides, in turn, are 



fluted in a thousand fantastic forms 



Take?: in Ventura County 

 Photo by Donald R. Dickey 



A PRUDENT MOMENT 



of fulness. The 

 smartly to the east 

 rounded, varied, ver- 

 ke a canvas before 

 of the canvas is yellow, 

 too fiercely from time 

 the hills are rent open 

 and earthen funnels, 

 gashed and scarred and 

 Fierce little barrancas, as sharply 



graven in the greensward as with the stroke of an etcher's tool, have led off 

 the sudden torrents from the vortices of these weird funnels, but tiring 

 presently of their impetuous burdens, they have spewed out the muddy 

 waters in great yellow triangles over the sides of the lower slopes. But 

 elsewhere all is green, green save for the glowing pink of owl's foot clover, 



236 



